The brewery will be the official beer sponsor of the 2012 Boston Marathon, one of the most revered and challenging races in the world. To celebrate, the Samuel Adams brewers are developing a special commemorative beer to mark the heralded event. This is the first time Samuel Adams has partnered with the Boston Athletic Association for the Marathon.

“Our partnership is a perfect fit because of our shared history– a Boston-born brewery joining the biggest of Boston traditions,” said Jim Koch, founder and brewer of Samuel Adams. “I released my first batch of Samuel Adams Boston Lager to the public on Patriots Day in 1985, the day of the Marathon right here in Boston. I faced a lot of challenges getting that first brew packaged and distributed in time, but I had set Patriots’ Day as my deadline. About half of our first 25 accounts were within three blocks of the finish line. So, the Marathon’s finish line was my starting line,” added Koch.

The brewers of Samuel Adams beers have been working hard to develop “Samuel Adams® Boston 26.2 Brew,” a special beer which will be available at race-related events, as well as pubs and restaurants along the Marathon route and around Boston.

"We at the B.A.A. are very pleased to be partnering with another Boston institution," said Joann E. Flaminio, B.A.A. President. "The Boston Marathon is all about Boston and all about competitive success in a challenging environment. The same is true of the folks at The Boston Beer Company and Samuel Adams. They are our neighbors here in town, and they have gotten where they are through the same hard work that we see from all of the athletes from around the world who work hard to qualify to run the Boston Marathon each year. We are delighted to join with Jim Koch and all of his colleagues in saying to 27,000 competitors from around the globe, 'Welcome to Boston', 'welcome to our home town.' We're proud to have you here and to enjoy what we have to offer."

Since the Boston Marathon’s first run in 1897, the event has been held every year in April on Patriot’s Day.

Photo credit - Bill Brett

About The Boston Beer Company

The Boston Beer Company began in 1984 with a generations-old family recipe that Founder and Brewer Jim Koch uncovered in his father’s attic. Inspired and unafraid to challenge conventional thinking about beer, Jim brought the recipe to life in his kitchen. Pleased with the results of his work, Jim decided to sample his beer with bars in Boston in the hopes that drinkers would appreciate the complex, full-flavored beer he brewed fresh in America. That beer was aptly named Samuel Adams Boston Lager®, in recognition of one of our nation's great founding fathers, a man of independent mind and spirit. Little did Jim know at the time, Samuel Adams Boston Lager soon became a catalyst of the American craft beer revolution.

Today, The Boston Beer Company brews more than 30 styles of beer. It relentlessly pursues the development of new styles and the perfection of classic beers by searching the world for the finest ingredients. Using the traditional four vessel brewing process, the Company often takes extra steps like dry-hopping, barrel-aging and a secondary fermentation known as krausening. The Company has also pioneered another revolution, the 'extreme beer' movement, where it seeks to challenge drinker's perceptions of what beer can be. The Boston Beer Company has been committed to elevating the image of American craft beer by entering festivals and competitions around the globe, and in the past five years has won more awards in international beer competitions than any other brewery in the world. As an independent company, brewing quality beer remains its single focus. Although Samuel Adams® beer is America's largest-selling craft beer, it accounts for only one percent of the U.S. beer market. The Boston Beer Company will continue its independently-minded quest to brew great beer and to advocate for the growth of craft beer across America. For more information, please visit www.samueladams.com.

The Boston Marathon began in Ashland, Massachusetts from 1897 through 1923 then moved to Hopkinton for the 1924 race. The course was lengthened to 26 miles, 385 yards to conform to the Olympic standard, and the starting line was moved west from Ashland to Hopkinton. Since then, the race has started in Hopkinton every year.